Vision 2030 up for final approval at Monday’s Parish Council meeting

Published: Saturday, February 23, 2013 at 9:50 p.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, February 23, 2013 at 9:50 p.m.

Wednesday night’s public hearing will be the final review of Terrebonne’s master plan before the Parish Council votes to adopt the document, which aims to chart local government’s direction over the next two decades.

Vision 2030, a 300-page draft plan, details strategies intended to guide parish leaders over the next 17 years. None of the recommendations are mandated, but local government officials use the guidelines to plan roads, housing, drainage systems, land use and other long-term development.

The parish began updating the master plan in 2009 to incorporate changes to population and community needs, which were impacted by the 2005 and 2008 hurricanes. The public has had the opportunity to provide input at periodic meetings held over the past few years.

The plan uses population and demographic data included in the 2010 Census. The plan predicts a steady population increase through 2030, though it won’t be as brisk as the growth experienced in the 1990s and 2000s. Those two decades saw between 7 percent and 8 percent growth, according to the plan.

Terrebonne’s 2010 population was 111,680. That figure is expected to grow 4.5 percent by 2020 and another 5 percent the following decade, bringing the population to 122,907, according to the plan.

About 11 percent of Terrebonne’s population is 65 years or older. By 2030, about 16 percent will reach that age, the plan says.

One of the focuses in the plan is an emphasis on keeping the parish resilient, said Pat Gordon, Terrebonne’s planning and zoning director.

The most expensive and difficult task proposed targets flood-prone homes and businesses, Gordon said, by making them better able to withstand future storms.

Gordon said future planning efforts ought to concentrate on building elevated structures using tougher construction standards.

The plan also suggests expanding zoning, or land-use rules, to more rural communities north of Houma. Currently zoning is in place in incorporated parts of Houma and along the La. 311 corridor and Martin Luther King Boulevard.

Zoning designates individual pieces of property for commercial, residential or industrial use and attempts to keep similar uses in the same vicinity.

Zoning has been hotly debated over the years in Terrebonne. Proponents say such rules are necessary to encourage orderly commercial and residential development. Opponents decry it as an intrusive government telling landowners what they can and can’t do with their property.

Gordon predicts, however, that “a lot of neighborhoods in the rural areas (are) in support of zoning regulations because it will maintain the residential integrity of the neighborhoods.”

Better public sewers, roads and traffic planning are other focus areas included in the plan. Such improvements, the document says, will encourage growth and tourism.

The plan also includes specific beautification projects for downtown Houma.

Once new levees are in place and tested, “there is going to be a resurgence of growth that’s going to take place in the bayou communities,” Gordon said.

Affordable flood insurance will be an issue for many in Terrebonne, he added.

“If I was an individual living down the bayou I would find some way of elevating my house, so I wouldn’t have to pay astronomical flood insurance rates,” he said.

The parish has already used FEMA money to help hundreds of residents whose homes repeatedly flooded either elevate or move to higher ground, said Chris Pulaski, Terrebonne’s senior planner.

Another challenge, the plan acknowledges, is that nearly 90 percent of Terrebonne’s land is “environmentally sensitive,” meaning that the costs to develop in these areas — if it’s even physically or legally possible — is too expensive to consider.

The plan also addresses the need for more efficient highways and roads.

Promoting carpooling, shuttle buses, flex-time work schedules to reduce peak-time traffic and establishing park-and-ride facilities are some of the traffic-reducing proposals detailed in the plan.

The plan suggests restructuring the transit system to serve more employment centers. It mentions providing free Wi-Fi on the bus to encourage young people to ride.

“When programs come through for workforce housing, one of the biggest considerations is whether there is going to be efficient public transportation,” Pulaski said.

Both Pulaski and Gordon say there is no question that Terrebonne Parish faces challenges and that not everything in the plan is meant to be set in stone.

“But we have a plan, unlike other coastal communities” Gordon said. “We are encouraging growth in particular areas by building roads and more levees. With the Levee District and the recovery dollars, we’re spending a quarter of a billion dollars in levee and drainage improvements. We are certainly stronger than we’ve ever been.”

“That’s why the master plan is updated every five years,” Pulaski said. “What we see as a priority today may not be the same as tomorrow. There may be another round of storms heading our way. But with this plan, we aren’t just waiting around to see what happens.”

The full plan is available for review on the local government’s website, tpcg.org.

A final public hearing on the plan is set for 6 p.m. Wednesday on the second floor of the Government Tower, 8026 Main St. The council is scheduled to vote on the plan afterward.

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